


Catch Your Dream

by the_technicolor_whiscash



Category: Mystery Science Theater 3000
Genre: Kissing, M/M, Post-Season 10, Slow Burn, coping with change, why do so many of my fics involve a job search
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-15 23:29:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12330993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_technicolor_whiscash/pseuds/the_technicolor_whiscash
Summary: Mike has been on earth for only a few days when he runs into Joel. He discovers that what he feels towards Joel isn’t simply normal friendship.





	Catch Your Dream

**Author's Note:**

> I spent way too long on this fic and eventually I had to just bite the bullet and write it

Three days. That was how long he had been on earth so far. Three days. Three days after the Satellite of Love crashed into earth, flinging Mike back into society. Since he never had to pay for anything on the SOL, he had a fair amount of money saved up, so that wasn’t a problem. But everything was just so… odd. 

His friends looked at him like he was an alien. His family, though they tried to understand, didn’t seem to comprehend just what he had been through during all of those years on the Satellite. The only people who seemed to understand him were the Bots, and that didn’t exactly help when he was out applying for jobs. Everyone knew him as that guy who was trapped up in space, but no one knew _him_.

The Bots were helpful, however, when he was visiting the supermarket. They provided much needed commentary as they perused the many aisles of the local Walmart. Crow sat in the child seat in the cart, while Tom sat in the basket. Mike found himself smiling. It was almost like they were a little family. A weird family of a dad and his two robot sons. (Gypsum had left almost as soon as they had crashed on earth, going off with Cambot to start their own company. Mike wondered if he would ever see them again.)

As they perused the cereal aisle of the local supermarket, with Crow and Tom begging for him to buy the worst, most sugar-filled cereals imaginable, Mike noticed the other person in the aisle. It was someone who, though they had only ever briefly met, he knew quite well. 

“Joel? Is that you?”

Joel sighed. “Hi, Mike.”

“You seem happy.”

“Eh. I’ve had a rough week.”

“I know the feel.”

Evidently, it only just then occurred to Joel who he was talking to. “Hold on. Mike? How did you get back down to earth?”

“Satellite of Love crashed. The Bots and I moved into an apartment. Well, Tom, Crow and I, at least. G went off with Cambot to start a company.”

“So it’s gone? The satellite was just destroyed?”

Mike nodded. “Yep.” A thought occurred to him. “Hey, can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah, man. Shoot.”

“Was it hard? For you to adjust back to life on earth, I mean?”

Joel turned the question over in his mind. “Yeah, it was. I mean, I managed to get myself together, start my hot fish shop, all that, but the first few months, even years were rough. You have to get used to the fact that you’re not trapped anymore. No one’s forcing you to watch bad movies or threatening to kill you.”

Mike put a hand to his forehead. “Alright. Well, that doesn’t sound too hard, I hope.”

“I mean, we’re different people. Besides, you’ve got the Bots.”

Mike glanced over at the Bots, who appeared to be refusing to even look at Joel. “Yeah, they’re just peachy. Loads of help in getting over the immense trauma.”

Joel smiled slightly. “You’ll do fine. Hey, do you need a job? I’m looking for a cashier at my fish shop.”

Mike thought about it for a moment. It was nice that Joel was offering, but he was just a little too proud to accept a job that was just handed to him. “Nah, I’ll figure something out. Thanks for the offer, though.”

“Well, it was good seeing you again, man. Glad to see you made it back to earth.”

“I am too.” Mike said with a smile. “Catch you around, Robinson.”

“See you.” He turned towards the Bots. “And hey, it was good to see you guys, too. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”

Tom merely turned away, and Crow rolled his eyes while making a “harumph” noise. 

Mike didn’t really understand the Bots’ cold attitude towards Joel until later that night. As he was brushing his teeth, one of them knocked on the door to his room. He abruptly spit out his toothpaste and told them to come in. 

Mike hadn’t expected it to be Crow. Usually it was Tom to tell him the honest truth of what they felt on a subject. But when Crow talked from the heart, it had to be something serious.

“Oh, hey, Crow. How’s it going?”

“We need to talk, Nelson.”

“Ok, about what?”

“You know what.”

Mike furrowed his brow. “I’m pretty sure I don’t.”

Crow rolled his eyes. “About Joel, you dunderhead.”

“Hey, that’s mean.”

“Listen, I don’t want you to get too close to Joel.”

Now Mike was infinitely confused. “Why?”

“Why? The man abandoned the rest of us on the satellite and went off on his merry way back to earth! He just left, with barely a goodbye! We didn’t know if we would ever see him again, and when we did, it wasn’t exactly happy!”

“Crow, I’m sure he didn’t mean to leave without you. Besides, it was Gypsum’s idea to send him back to earth.”

“You don’t feel at least a little contempt towards the man? It’s because of him leaving that you were trapped on the SOL, and you were the one to help get him off the satellite in the first place!”

“Well, sure, when I first was trapped on the satellite, I hated the guy. But I got over it, because I realized it wasn’t his fault.”

“You know, he could have taken you back to earth with him during Soultaker.”

Mike pondered that for a moment. “Yeah, but there were loads of other times I could have left but didn’t. Remember the electrician? Heck, I could have probably even convinced Brain Guy to send me home. But I didn’t.”

“Why?” 

He chuckled hesitantly. “Because frankly, I’m not exactly the best at coming up with escape plans. In hindsight, there were a lot of missed opportunities. And I didn’t want to leave you guys, especially not in the middle of a movie.”

Crow approached a chair in Mike’s room and sat down heavily. “Joel left us. He just left us. Never even called. No emails, no letters, no Christmas gifts, nothing. He just left us, Mike.”

Mike patted the golden robot atop the head. “I know, buddy. I know. And I’m sure he regrets it. I know I would.”

Crow jerked away from Mike’s hand and looked him right in the eye. “Why do you keep coming up with excuses for him? You don’t even know him!”

“Crow, I’m just trying to help. If you really don’t want me to talk to Joel again, or even talk about Joel, I won’t.”

“Good. Don’t.”

Suddenly, Tom popped his head into the room. “Is everything alright? I heard yelling, and you know how I don’t like missing out on fights.”

Mike nodded. “Everything’s fine, Tom. Crow and I were just chatting.”

Crow gave Mike a side-eye look before standing up and wordlessly barging out of the room. 

Tom peered over his back, evidently making sure that Crow was out of earshot. “The guy had a rough time after Joel left. Dude was like a father to us, and he just disappeared.”

“It’s no wonder he has abandonment issues, then.”

“Yeah. You could say that.”

“You seem to be handling this better than he is.”

“I’ve always been a little more emotionally stable than Crow.”

Mike frowned. “You once started singing about how much you loved Canada, and then abruptly changed to a song about how you wanted to blow Canada to smithereens.”

“Ok, well, that was different. Let me rephrase this. I’ve always been better at forgiveness than Crow.”

“Again, Tom, I’m pretty sure that’s not the case.”

“Well, then, damnit, Mike, I don’t know what you’re looking for. I guess I just got over Joel faster than he did. Sure, he was like a father to me too, and I miss him with every fiber of my being, but I don’t hate him for leaving us.”

“Huh. Alright, I can see that.”

Servo’s tone suddenly changed. “You won’t leave us, right, Mike?”

“Of course not, Tom. You guys are my friends. I’m not gonna just up and leave you.”

“Good. Well, have a good night. I’m planning on getting up at four and making lots of noise in the kitchen, so be ready.”

“Thanks for the warning.” He paused. “Hold on, why?”

Tom cackled. “You’ll find out eventually!”

——————

Mike found it hard to avoid talking to Joel, mainly because he somehow ran into him the next day while walking to the convenience store. 

“Mike. Hey. Long time no see.” Joel said, smiling slightly upon seeing Mike.

“Hi, Joel. Don’t really have much time to chat. I’m heading to the store.”

“Oh, I’m going there too. Need to pick up some bread and milk.” 

“Ah. I’m getting chips and some chocolate, which Crow explicitly demanded.”

Joel chuckled. “That does sound like Crow. How’s he doing?”

“He’s alright. Adjusting to life on earth is as hard for him as it is for me, if not worse.”

“Poor guy. Will you tell him I said hello?”

Mike pondered how to answer. Suddenly, a thought struck him. “Why don’t you come by my place for dinner sometime, and you can catch up with them? I think it would be good for them.”

Joel seemed pleasantly surprised by the offer. “Sure. What day?”

“Whenever’s good for you.”

“I’m free all week except for Thursday.”

“How about Friday, then.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Mike then remembered the sheer amount of spite Crow carried towards Joel. “Wait, hold on. Before we make any plans, you should know that Crow isn’t exactly… happy with you.”

Joel frowned. “What do you mean?”

“He feels betrayed by you. You were kind of like a father to him, and you just up and abandoned them.”

“I didn’t leave them by choice! It was Gypsum’s fault.”

“Well, yeah, I know that. But I think Crow is most upset by the fact that you never even called or anything.”

“Never called? I called all the time! I always ended up reaching Dr Forrester’s answering machine.”

Now Mike was frowning. “Wait. Were the Mads blocking your calls?”

“Damn. It seems like it. Did you get any of my letters?”

“No! I mean, at one point we were travelling through time, so we couldn’t exactly get mail, but I think that means that the Mads were stealing your letters.”

Joel held his hands up. “Woah, hold on. Travelling through _time_?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of a long story. But now I have to tell Crow that you aren’t an absolute scumbag!”

Joel furrowed his brow. “Did you think I was an absolute scumbag?”

“No, no. Well, I guess I didn’t really know what to think about you. The only opinions I had were those of the Bots and the Mads, and they were conflicting to say the least.”

“So what is your opinion of me, then?”

Mike thought it an odd question, but answered nonetheless. “I think you’re a good guy. I mean, you did offer me a job even though we barely know each other.”

“Good. I’m glad you don’t think I’m an absolute scumbag.”

“So dinner, you, me, the Bots, Friday?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Though, just a warning, I won’t be cooking. Mainly because every time I try to, something seems to catch fire.”

“I can respect that. Hold on, where do you live?”

“Oh yeah. I guess that’s important.” He pulled out a crumpled receipt and a pen and quickly scribbled out his address (and phone number, just in case). 

“Cool. Well, I’ve gotta go buy my stuff. See you Friday, Nelson.”

“See you, Robinson.” 

As Joel walked off, Mike noticed a distinct feeling within himself. It was a sort of a twinge in his stomach, something he didn’t entirely understand. Was he sick? It didn’t feel like that kind of twinge. Perhaps it was a muscle spasm. 

Once he got home, he decided to look it up on AltaVista. It wasn’t the flu, and wasn’t some horrifying flesh-eating virus. So what could it be?

Butterflies?

No. It couldn’t be. That would mean… No. It didn’t make sense. He barely knew the man. And yet the more he thought about it, the more the feeling didn’t go away. 

Mike had a crush on Joel. Maybe more than a crush. And he had to face it. 

By the time Friday rolled around, Mike had been overthinking about his crush on Joel. He knew it was probably going to amount to nothing, or at least he hoped it would. Needless to say, the Bots were confused as to Mike’s sudden excitement at the subject of having dinner with Joel. 

Crow was still angry at Joel, but had agreed not to attack him when he came over. Mike tried to explain that Joel had tried to call, and had tried to send letters, but Crow was still distrustful. It would probably take him some time to warm back up to Joel. 

Mike’s heart jumped into his throat when he heard a knock on the door. He took a deep breath, forcing his heart back into its rightful place. This would be fine. They were just going to eat some Chinese food, talk, get to know each other, see what Joel’s been doing. 

Mike opened the door, trying to swallow any lingering anxiety. “Heya, Joel.” 

“Hi, Mike.” Joel said, entering. “Chinese food?”

“Yep. It’s from a place down the street that seems to have good reviews.”

“Smells good. Where’re the Bots?” 

“At the kitchen table waiting. Hopefully.”

Joel smiled, and Mike led him into the dining room. The Bots were, thankfully, still sitting in their respective seats, though they had apparently gotten into the chopsticks, because Tom had two chopsticks sticking out of his globe. 

Mike sighed. “Tom, why are there chopsticks in your head?”

“It’s _couture_ , Mike. You wouldn’t know about it since you wear a jumpsuit every day.”

“Hey, I like my jumpsuits. They’re comfy and convenient.”

Crow rolled his eyes from across the table. “Hate to break it to you, Mike, but jumpsuits never have been a fashion statement.”

Mike turned to Joel, who was very clearly amused by the whole conversation. “Back me up on this!”

“I have no comment.”

“No comment? You wear jumpsuits just as often as I do!”

“Yeah, but I make them look good.”

Mike snorted. “Come on, I don’t look that bad in a jumpsuit.”

“You know what I think? I think we need an unbiased opinion on this. Do you have Gypsum’s number?”

“Of course. I’ll put her on speakerphone.”

Mike pulled out his landline and hit speed dial. After a few seconds, G’s voice spoke out of the phone. “Hello, Gypsum speaking.”

“Gyps? It’s Mike. Joel and I have a question for you.”

“Oh, Joel’s with you? Hi, Joel!”

Joel smiled. “Hi, Gyps. How’ve you been?”

“I’m good! Cambot’s here with me. We’ve started a business!” 

“That’s great to hear. Mike, you wanna ask them?”

“So. Gypsum. In your honest opinion, are jumpsuits stylish?”

A few seconds passed. Eventually, G answered. “Depends on the person.”

Mike groaned. “G, that doesn’t help us!”

“That’s because you refuse to admit that you don’t look good in a jumpsuit.” Crow butted in. 

“Crow, you’re not helping either.” He laughed. “I look fine in a jumpsuit.”

G didn’t sound convinced. “Well, you do you, I guess.”

“Thanks for the help, G.”

“Of course. Call me anytime you need help.” 

G hung up, and for a moment, they were all caught up in a sort of post-joke limbo, each of them laughing quietly. 

They eventually got around to actually eating dinner. They talked about everything and nothing, about life and living, about travelling and settling down. Crow, though still very clearly perturbed, grew warmer towards Joel as the night went on. 

And Mike, though he had hoped that the opposite would happen, ended up finding himself crushing even harder on Joel. It still didn’t make sense to him. And, of course, he didn’t tell anyone about it, which only made it worse. At the rate his feelings were growing, he realized that very soon he would be entirely in love with Joel. Though the thought rather appealed to him, it also scared him. Joel was clearly living his own life, without needing the affection of the weirdo from space. He didn’t even know if Joel even had a girlfriend. Or if he even liked guys. Or anyone, for that matter. 

Perhaps he just needed some time away from Joel. Yes, that should do the trick. Some time nowhere near Joel and his weirdly cute face, or his wonderful sense of humor, or his nice butt. Time for Mike to figure things out. 

For the next week or so, he managed to avoid running into Joel at the supermarket, or the convenience store, or just generally on the street. Mainly because he barely left his apartment. In Mike’s defense, he spent most of that time applying to jobs online, and doing phone interviews, and trying to learn how to cook without catching the entire kitchen on fire. The latter was unsuccessful. He missed having G around to cook. She was a way better cook than he was. And also never lit anything on fire that wasn’t supposed to be on fire. Like the electric stove.

So for most of that week Mike lived off of waffles, cereal, and whatever food he could get delivered. The Bots weren’t exactly happy with it, and they made their protests known. But it wasn’t like there was anything he could do about it. He simply couldn’t cook to save his life.

Crow, during that week, seemed to have built up some sort of spite towards Mike. So on Friday, Mike confronted him about it. “Crow, what’s wrong? You’ve seemed pissed off this whole week.”

“You know what’s wrong, you traitor.”

“Traitor? Is this because I had Joel over for dinner?”

“Nooo, it’s because I don’t like your shirt. Of COURSE it’s because of Joel. I asked you not to talk to him, and you turn around and invite him to dinner!”

“Crow, he turned out not to be a complete scumbag! He’s a good guy! And he’s basically your father! If anything, you should be angry at the Mads!”

“Do you think I’m not angry at them too? I’m angry at a lot of people right now! In fact, I think the only people I can trust are Tom and Gypsum, and Gypsum isn’t even here! Maybe I should have left and joined her company!”

Mike hesitated, wondering how to answer. “And leave Tom alone with me?”

Crow clearly hadn’t expected Tom to be brought up. Though the robot would deny it, Servo was probably the one person in the world he cared most about. “Leave Tom out of this.”

Evidently Tom had heard them mention him, and probably had heard their entire argument, because he floated into the room just as Crow finished his sentence. “No, don’t leave me out of this. I have every right to be a part of this argument.”

Mike sighed. “Alright, Tom. What do you think about this?”

“I think we’ve all made some mistakes in our time. Clearly, Joel made an effort to try to contact us, and we just never got it, so we assumed he abandoned us when in reality he didn’t.” He noticed Crow’s glare. “At the same time, he did leave us up on that Satellite, not knowing if we would ever make it back to earth, or even survive the ordeal.”

Mike nodded. “So really, we’re all at fault.”

“Pretty much.”

Crow clenched his jaw, but eventually, he conceded. “Fine. So it’s not just Joel’s fault. I still don’t want to talk to him.”

Mike put a hand to his forehead in exasperation. “As much as I hate to say this, I think it might be a good idea if you sat down and actually told him how you feel.”

“No. No way.”

“It would be good for you to get it off your chest! And you can get his point of view on everything.” 

“You can’t make me do anything, Nelson!”

Mike sighed. “Crow, please, just work with me here.”

Crow looked like he was about to protest, but conceded. “Fine. I don’t care.” 

Before Mike could reply, Crow had stormed out of the room, leaving Mike and Tom alone. 

Tom sighed. “He’ll get over it.”

“Will he? I can never tell with him.”

“Yeah, don’t worry. He’s stubborn, but he’ll listen eventually.” 

As Tom turned to leave, Mike spoke. “You know, sometimes I wish we were still up on the Satellite.”

“I don’t. Going to the grocery store is fun. And hey, maybe you can finally let us get a pet.”

“No. None of us are responsible enough to take care of a pet, including me.”

“Joel would have let us have a pet.” Tom grumbled and left the room.

Mike rolled his eyes. Taking care of the Bots alongside himself was a handful, admittedly, but he was glad that they were there. Though they may argue, he would have been much worse off if he didn’t have them to talk to. 

That night, Mike found himself unable to sleep. This happened more often than not ever since he had come back to earth. It must’ve been the lack of the satellite’s humming engine. Or perhaps a change to gravity that wasn’t artificial. Or maybe a bed he wasn’t used to. Or his stunning feeling of loneliness. 

He decided that the best way to deal with his problem would be to talk to someone. So he called up the only person who could understand exactly what he had been through: Joel.

Though it was a horrible time in the morning, after a few rings, Joel picked up. “Hello?”

“Hi, Joel. It’s Mike.”

“Mike? It’s 3:30 in the morning. What are you doing up?”

“I can’t sleep. What are you doing up?”

“Oh, I never get enough sleep. Most nights I go to bed at four am.”

“Jeez.” No wonder Joel always had that sleepy look that Mike had grown to love. Damnit. He suddenly remembered why he had been avoiding Joel. Because even just talking to him sent his heart aflutter. 

“What’s keeping you up?”

“I don’t know. Ever since I got back from the satellite, I’ve had trouble sleeping.”

“I know the feeling. The ability to be able to go anywhere other than the Satellite was sort of startling to me.”

“Yeah, or the fact that gravity is natural, and not something made by the Satellite.”

“Or that there’s other people you can talk to, not just the bots and the Mads.”

“Or that you can go to the supermarket and buy whatever food you want, or get Chinese takeout.”

“Or the fact that no one’s forcing you to watch bad movies.”

Mike found himself smiling. His regrets towards calling Joel were beginning to disappear, leaving him with only a feeling of happiness. “I knew I called you for a reason. You know exactly what I’ve been through.”

A pause. “I know how rough it can be adjusting back to life on earth. You’ve got the Bots to help you adjust, which is good. But it’s still hard. I’ll try and help you any way that I can.”

Mike felt his voice catch in his throat. “Thank you. I… I can’t tell you how much I just need someone to talk to. My friends look at me like I’m an alien. My family doesn’t understand anything that’s happened. Those years on the Satellite… they changed me, Joel. I’m not the same person people knew before, and it’s… it’s hard.”

“As bad as it may seem, this will pass. You’ll get used to life on earth, and your friends and family will get used to having you around again. If anyone gives you any shit, cut them out of your life. I mean, that’s what I did.” 

“And I love the Bots, but it’s hard living with them on earth. They’re so out of place, and they get angry when people give them weird looks. I love them like they’re my kids, but I just don’t know how I’m going to deal with them. Plus, Crow’s still angry at you, even though I’ve tried to tell him time and time again that it wasn’t your fault. Would you mind talking to him at some point? I think a one on one might be good for him.”

“Of course. I’d like to get more involved in the Bots’ lives, if you don’t mind.”

Ah. That meant that Joel would be more involved in _his_ life as well. It definitely wasn’t a bad thing. “Sure. Yeah. Absolutely. You can come by and see them whenever you want. We’re home pretty often.”

“Have you managed to get a job yet?”

Mike sighed. “No. I’m still looking, but given my reputation of ‘that doofus who was locked up in a satellite,’ I haven’t exactly gotten many job offers. The local TGI Friday’s offered me a position as a waiter, but I don’t want to do that. I want a job doing something I like.”

“Well, the offer’s still open if you want to work at my hot fish shop. I’ll let you work pretty much any job you want there.”

“No, no. I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to feel like I was given a job just because you feel bad for me.”

“Mike, I’m not offering you this job because I feel bad for you. I’m offering to you because I know what you’ve been through, and I consider you a friend. Just take the job. You can quit anytime you want.”

Mike ran a hand through his hair. Taking a job with Joel would mean a steady paycheck, yes, but it would also mean that he would be spending prolonged periods of time around Joel, who he was now quite in love with. Though Joel didn’t know that. Nor did he need to know. “Alright. Fine. I’ll take the job.”

“Cool. Head over to the fish shop on Monday, and we can get everything straightened out.”

“Sounds like a plan. Hey, thank you for talking to me. I know it’s kind of an awkward time in the morning, but I really appreciate you taking the time to hear me out.”

“Like I said, I’m always up this late. Besides, I was glad to talk to you. It made the night much more interesting.”

“Guess I’ll talk to you later, then.”

“Later.”

Mike hung up the phone and settled deeply into his pillows. His emotions were in a whirlwind, and his heart was racing. This was absolutely not what he had had in mind. He was supposed to be keeping himself away from Joel, but instead he was now going to be around him more than ever. 

He knew that sooner or later, he would have to face his feelings. He would have to stop avoiding it, and maybe tell Joel how he felt. But not yet. He couldn’t. 

—————

On Monday, Mike stood outside the door to Joel’s hot fish shop. His hand was on the handle, but he hesitated. Maybe he should just turn around and run back to his apartment. Maybe he should move or leave the country. Maybe he should fake his death, change his name, and live in a cave in Australia.

Suddenly, he noticed Joel through the glass of the door. Joel waved at him, and Mike knew that he couldn’t fake his death. He pushed the door, before discovering that it was, in fact, a pull door, and accidentally walked into it. He felt himself blush as he pulled the door open and stepped inside, hoping that Joel didn’t see his mistake. 

His hopes were soon dashed. “It’s a pull door.” Joel said with a slight smile. 

“Well, yeah, I figured that out.” Mike muttered in reply, trying to cover up the fact that he was now immensely embarrassed. “So what do you want me to do? I’ve never worked at a hot fish shop before.” 

“Basically, we fry fish and french fries. That’s kind of it. Not too hard. I already take care of the business side of things, so I’ll just need some help cooking and cleaning and serving. Most of the customers just order out, and all of the silverware is plastic, so dishwashing isn’t a problem.”

“Sounds easy enough.” 

“Yep. The place is never overly busy. The lunch rush can be challenging, but with two people it’ll be better.” Joel paused. “I’m glad you took the job, to be honest. I didn’t want to have to hire someone random if you were still an option.”

“I’m glad to help. Even if I’m still not convinced you didn’t offer it to me because you feel sorry for me.”

“Mike, trust me. I wouldn’t have tried to hire you if I didn’t at least think you were qualified for the job. Just let it go.”

Mike knew that he definitely wasn’t qualified, but nonetheless he dropped the subject and moved on. “Hold on, are you sure you really want me cooking? Last time I made toast I accidentally lit the toaster on fire.”

Joel frowned. “You did? How?”

“I don’t even know! One minute, I’m waiting for my breakfast to cook, the next minute, the boys are screaming as I spray the toaster with a fire extinguisher.” He paused. “The Bots, I mean.”

A smile crossed Joel’s face. “They really are like weird children, aren’t they?”

After a brief hesitation, Mike smiled back. “Yeah. Taking care of them is like being the single father of two hormonal teens. I keep expecting them to have a party when I’m not home.”

“Single… you don’t have anyone from before you were on the Satellite?”

“Nah. I’ve never been good at the whole ‘dating’ thing.” Mike felt his mouth turning dry. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.” 

An awkward moment of silence passed between the two of them. Something was definitely up here. Mike noticed a distinct tension, that which hadn’t existed when the Bots were around to mediate. Like both he and Joel were bating their breath, waiting for the other to say something, anything. But Mike had no idea what it meant. 

Eventually, he cleared his throat. “So, uh, I guess I’ll get to work.”

Joel nodded. “Good idea.”

—————

After a full week of working for Joel, Mike realized that this wasn’t going to work. For one, he found himself absentmindedly gazing at Joel instead of focusing on the task at hand. He would blush furiously and babble like an idiot whenever Joel so much as brushed past him, and his excuse was always that he thought he might be coming down with a cold, which was total bullshit. Joel could obviously see right through the vaguely constructed barriers Mike had put up, but neither of them were apparently willing to talk about the glaring issues at hand. 

All the while, the Bots knew something was up. Mike wasn’t acting like himself, that was apparent. But they didn’t know why, because Mike wouldn’t dare tell them that he had a significant crush on Joel. Tom seemed to be fine with Joel’s reintroduction into their lives, but Crow was still wary. Crow and Joel had had their talk, and though Mike didn’t know what they had said to each other, he knew that Crow had ended up in the robot equivalent of tears. Both the human and the robot refused to talk about what happened, which absolutely did not help in attempting to resolve the issue. 

And so Mike was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He could keep working for Joel, and keep having to deal with his ever-straining heartstrings. Or he could quit, move to a different town, and try to avoid any contact with Joel at all. On Friday, he decided on a happy medium: taking the day off as a ‘mental health day.’ He certainly needed it. Plus, Joel didn’t question him when he asked for the day off. 

Mike spent the day lounging around on the couch. The Bots were off taking a tour of the new ConGypsCo building (damn, had G gotten that company up fast), so he had the whole apartment to himself. It seemed so quiet without the Bots. It’s not that he didn’t appreciate a brief moment of silence, but he somehow missed their rambunctious excitement in making fun of everything he did. Perhaps, he thought, this was how Joel felt upon his return to earth. Lonely. 

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. It couldn’t have been the Bots, they had a key. And it definitely wasn’t one of his family or friends, since they would have called beforehand. So who was it?

Checking through the peephole, he was startled to see Joel standing on the other side of the door. His mind immediately ran through different scenarios of what to do. He could hide and pretend he wasn’t home. Better yet, he could jump out the window and down the fire escape. 

His escape scenarios were shattered by Joel talking. “Mike? You home?”

Mike sighed. He would get nowhere by jumping out the window. Even if his heart was racing already. “Just a minute.”

He quickly unlocked the door and opened it, coming face to face with a concerned Joel. 

Mike raised a brow. “Heya, Joel. What brings you here?”

Was Joel _blushing_? “You said you were taking a mental health day, and I know that your mental health has been… kind of rough at points lately, so I wanted to check on you, make sure you were doing ok. I hope I didn’t step out of line.”

Now Mike was blushing too. “No, no, you’re not out of line at all. I’m doing fine. I just needed some time off is all.”

“Oh. That’s good to hear.”

An awkward moment of silence. Finally, Mike broke it. “So, uh, do you wanna come in? The Bots are off visiting Gypsum’s company, so it’s just me.”

“I mean, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Of course not. Come on in. You want coffee or something?” 

“Nah. I just had one not too long ago.”

“Right. Well, make yourself comfortable.” Mike said, waving towards the interior of his apartment. “Sure you don’t want anything to drink?”

“I’m good.”

Joel sat on the couch, and Mike sat on the other end, strategically placing himself far enough away that they wouldn’t so much as risk brushing against each other, or bumping arms, or any kind of physical contact. He tried, unsuccessfully, to play it off like he wasn’t trying to stay as far away from Joel as possible, for fear of accidentally making out with him. 

After a few moments of this, Joel sighed. “Mike, we need to talk.”

Oh, god. “About what?”

“About whatever the hell it is that’s going on between us.”

Mike’s heart hit a record pace. “Well, I, uh, we’re friends.”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about. And I mean, I could be reading the mood wrong. But I’m pretty sure I’m right. I’ve seen you stare at me enough times to figure it out.”

Mike felt his heart suddenly drop into his stomach. “I…”

“Mike, I know you have feelings towards me.”

“Yes. Alright. I do. And if that makes you not want to be friends anymore, I totally get it. I’ll leave, move or something, and-”

Joel slid closer to Mike, abruptly making the distance between them on the couch much shorter. Joel’s hand gently, hesitantly wrapped around Mike’s. “I don’t want that. I like you too, Mike. That’s the point.”

Mike felt that feeling again. Those weird butterflies in his stomach, that don’t feel at all what butterflies feel like. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Instead of replying, Mike kissed Joel. It was a sloppy kiss, one that represented the years that it had been since Mike had last kissed another person, but one filled with longing that had finally been released. He soon realized that he had pushed the smaller man down onto the couch, and his legs were straddling him. Mike quickly pulled away, blushing even deeper than before. 

“Sorry, I… if I’m going too fast…” Mike stuttered, trying to avoid eye contact but ultimately being unable to tear his eyes from the other man’s face. 

Joel hooked his finger around Mike’s collar and pulled him closer, until their faces were almost touching. “Keep going.” He muttered breathily. 

Mike obliged, returning his lips to Joel’s. His hands gripped the fabric of Joel’s jumpsuit, as Joel’s hands aligned themselves on Mike’s waist. Mike melted into Joel, until the only thing he could think about was how much he loved the other man. 

—————

Mike awoke the next morning to a metal hand poking him in the face. Crow. He also noticed another human in the bed with him, whom he was currently spooning. Joel. Hold on. 

“What time is it?” Mike muttered, and Crow stopped poking him once he realized he was awake. 

“What the hell, Mike?” Crow whispered, evidently trying to be careful not to wake Joel. 

“Mmph, what are you talking about?”

“Why are you in bed with Joel?”

“Oh yeah. That. We’re kind of… romantically interested in each other.”

“Clearly more than just romantically.” Crow spoke with an edge to his voice. “This has gone too far.”

“Crow, he’s a good guy. You should know that by now.”

“Maybe he is, but that’s not the point. What happens now? For Tom and I? Do we just get thrown to the side, while you and Joel carry on your sexcapade?” 

“Of course not, Crow. You’re like family to me. In fact, you’re probably the closest thing I have right now to a family. I wouldn’t just up and throw that all away.”

Crow set his jaw in a way that meant that he was skeptical. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Crow, don’t worry. I’ll always be there for you and Tom.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Content, Crow left the room, closing the door behind him. Joel rolled over in Mike’s arms and snuggled deeply into his chest. Evidently, even through this whole conversation, Joel had managed to sleep through it. 

Mike gazed at Joel’s face, his sleepy expression peaceful and serene. 

Perhaps things were turning up for Mike. Maybe he would no longer regret the crashing of the Satellite of Love. Maybe things were changing for the better.

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t really ship it in canon but it’s great in fics  
> I guess that means it looks good on paper   
> Ha I actually like that phrase   
> Also if any of my html is messed up please let me know because that is totally my own fault because I suck at coding


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